Russian diplomats have held three meetings in less than a week with key stakeholders in the Western Sahara conflict, signaling a renewed push to find a resolution to the decades-long dispute.
On March 11, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his deputy, Sergey Vershinin, met with Staffan de Mistura, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Moroccan Sahara.
The meeting was followed by two more on March 17 and 21, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov meeting separately with Moroccan Ambassador Lotfi Bouchaara and Algerian Ambassador Boumediene Ganad.
Analysts say the flurry of diplomatic activity is a sign of Russia’s active pursuit of a solution to the conflict.
The meetings come just days before De Mistura is due to present a report to the UN Security Council on the implementation of its resolution on Moroccan Sahara.
The resolution calls for a political solution to the conflict based on the “roundtable” mechanism, which would bring together all parties involved, including Algeria.
Abdelali Benlias, a professor of political science at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, told Hespress Ar that the timing of the meetings is significant.
“It is clear that the meetings with the Moroccan and Algerian ambassadors are linked to De Mistura’s visit to Russia,” Benlias said.
“The goal is to explore the role that Russia can play as an influential power in international politics to find political avenues for dialogue between the parties involved, especially Morocco and Algeria,” the university professor explained.
Benlias pointed to the changing geopolitical landscape, which has imposed a greater role on Russia in resolving regional crises.
The university professor said this suggests that the aim of the diplomatic meetings in Moscow is to push the two countries (Morocco and Algeria) to engage in the political process of the UN Security Council, especially since Russia can pressure Algeria to cooperate with De Mistura’s attempts to bring the parties to the negotiating table.
On his part, Abbas El Wardi, a professor of public law at Mohammed V University, said that Russia’s interest in finding a solution to the Moroccan Sahara conflict is aimed at creating momentum and bringing the parties’ positions closer together.
El Wardi said that Algeria has a strong belief in the Russian institution and has very good relations with Moscow.
“This means that persuasion will be the key to this stage in the framework of the positive mediation that Russia is leading,” said the university professor.
El Wardi added that Russia can succeed in convincing the parties to resolve the Moroccan Sahara conflict through diplomatic means, noting the strong relationship between King Mohammed VI and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly affirmed his high regard for Morocco.
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